We Need You
by Cheddar Wolf
Summary: In the harsh world of idols, STARISH has debuted spectacularly and enraptured the world's hearts. Nothing is forever though, and within a year of their first concert Nanami goes missing. As they struggle to put the heart back into their songs, STARISH is given a temporary new composer, throwing an already distressed group into more turmoil. Will Nanami ever return? Haru/Starish


**_We Need You_**

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own any of the characters or anything related to Uta no Prince-sama~

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Prologue

Gentle, nimble fingers flitted across the glossy keys of Nanami Haruka's grand piano, evoking light and cheery notes which filled the large and mostly empty apartment room with rich sound. Sitting at the piano bench with a look of sheer concentration, Nanami's eyes flew over the music sheet in front of her, making mental notes of what to change and what to expand on as she played. The sheet was old and wrinkled, pencil and eraser marks all over each measure, with certain things circled in red pen and arrows drawn to other places. By all accounts the piece was a hopeless mess, but Haruka hadn't wanted to give up on it just yet. Biting her lower lip, she kept up her playing, though slowly becoming aware of more and more mistakes in the measures she'd just written.

Eventually, her hands gave out and Haruka let out a frustrated cry as she slammed her palms down on the helpless instrument in front of her. The piano made a subsequent cry of its own, voiced via the odd array of keys she'd just haphazardly pressed. The strangled sound echoed throughout the room before settling into a deep silence.

Sighing drearily, Haruka lifted her palms from the piano with guilt. It wasn't the piano's fault that she'd been having so much trouble lately, but she couldn't help the well of frustration bearing down on her chest. Was it always this hard to make music for STARISH? She could faintly remember a time when this music would simply come to her naturally - such as when she composed not one, not two, but _seven_ songs over the course of _one_ summer for each of the STARISH boys. Where was that creative drive now? Had she finally hit her limit?

As the early morning sunlight crept over her apartment room, the light struck the golden frame of a picture hanging on her wall. It was STARISH's UtaPri award picture. All seven of the boys, as well as Haruka, stood on the center stage holding the award with enthusiastic smiles. Though they tried to keep it professional, it was nearly impossible with Ren's naturally flirtatious posing, Natsuki's giddy poking at Syo, and the latter in return elbowing Ittoki. Cecil stood next to Ittoki, laughing, while Masato and Tokiya were the only two besides Nanami properly self-controlled.

Haruka smiled fondly. She wasn't even supposed to be in the picture, since she had composed the songs for both competing groups after all, but STARISH insisted they couldn't have won without her, and begged her to be in it. The memory warmed her heart.

Yet, it also came with a slight pang of sorrow.

It had been nearly a year since that miracle concert, and STARISH kept on growing in popularity - and in skill. Sometimes when she practiced with them, they felt light years ahead of her in terms of professionalism. They had truly graduated from the seven young lovesick boys she'd come to know in school and in the Master Course. Each of them pursued their own careers while furthering the image of STARISH, and had blossomed into truly unique idols whose talents she could never rival. It was like staring at the backs of seven regal princes, while she looked up from below on the street of peasants.

In fact, they could probably compose their own songs now, as most truly dedicated musical artists were wont to do. They already made their own lyrics to her songs, and most, if not all of them knew how to make music. Occasionally, when she really needed help, one of the members would pitch in a suggestion or two on the score. Haruka would be lying if she said she wasn't proud, though. Having brought seven wonderful people together and made music everyone in the whole world could enjoy was like living a dream.

_Her _dream. The one born out of gawking at a HAYATO music video on a crowded intersection in the middle of a busy day. It was strange to think that she was here now. Back then, it had seemed so far away. HAYATO was still a distant idol on a television screen, and she was just another face in the crowd. Yet another high school girl with big dreams and little means to make them reality.

Though today she was still just a 'face in the crowd' compared to the members of STARISH, her name and face hadn't gone unnoticed in the higher echelons of music composers. Even some of the more dedicated STARISH fans could recognize her, though both instances were rare.

Rarer still, to her horror, that some fans had met her with hostility and accusing stares. It was inevitable, Haruka guessed, since the STARISH boys were so popular and good looking. A good majority of the fans were also high school teenagers themselves, and Haruka knew all too well how vicious that age group could be. Still, it didn't make the encounters any less uncomfortable, and she'd kept those few events to herself. Though STARISH would likely want her to share her pain - as Tokiya even explicitly told her to, once - Haruka couldn't bring herself to burden them with her petty problems. They needed to be concentrating on their work, not her.

Besides the increasing frustration at producing high-quality new songs and the fan gossip about her though, Haruka was actually feeling better than she'd ever felt before. The reason was her own personal secret, however, she just wasn't quite sure how to tell STARISH yet.

Smiling faintly, Haruka traced her fingers around a necklace clasped around her neck. Glancing at the clock, she realized she'd be late to her meeting with STARISH if she didn't hurry.

Her gaze returned to the unfinished song sitting in front of her, the scribbles of writing now promising hope rather than defeat. If she had more time, it could really _be_ something. Maybe it won't be as great as Maji Love 1000% or 2000%, but it could be her personal magnum opus. If she just had time. A break, perhaps, away from the fans and gossip tabloids. Just her, and her music.

Still smiling, Haruka tucked a few strands of her pale, reddish-orange hair behind an ear. She stood up gracefully from the piano bench and walked over to where her apartment keys were, lying on a coffee table littered with sheet music. As she grasped the keys in one hand, she looked up at the city below her, beyond the glass doors of her balcony. It seemed to glow and come alive with the rising morning sun, the rays bouncing off the steel buildings that sprouted out of the ground.

Humming happily to herself, Haruka gathered her purse and sheet music, and swiftly left her apartment.

She was definitely going to be late.


End file.
